Alex Andreou, had a method of using peas, still frozen, as the first layer of a traybake. The peas become soft and sweet in the heat — duller in colour, but so much more vibrant in flavour — and the steam they produce as they bake makes the chicken beautifully tender, its skin crackly and crisp on top. The key here is the size of the roasting tin — measuring from inside rim to inside rim — than about 38 x 28cm / 15 x 11 inches (a little larger is fine) as there needs to be space around the chicken thighs to cook properly.
Chicken & Pea Traybake
A great way to use leftover frozen peas & chicken
Servings: 4
Cost: £12
Equipment
- 1 38 x 28cm baking tray Slightly bigger is ok but you shouldnt attempt to make this with a tray that is smaller.
Ingredients
- 900 grams frozen petits pois
- 400 grams trimmed leeks cut into approx. 3cm/ 1 inch slices
- 2 fat cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 4 x 15ml tablespoons dry white vermouth or wine
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons regular olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes plus more for sprinkling
- 1 small bunch fresh dill torn into pieces
- 8 chicken thighs with skin on and bone in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F and clatter the frozen peas into a large roasting tin, followed by the leeks, garlic, vermouth, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of sea salt flakes and most of the dill. Turn everything together in the pan — breaking up any large clumps of the frozen peas — until well mixed. I advise you to wear CSI gloves for this, just to stop you getting frostbite, though you still will feel the cold.
- Arrange the chicken thighs, skin-side up, on top, then drizzle them with a little olive oil and give them a good sprinkling of sea salt flakes, before roasting in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, give the peas a small stir or tamp down, so that the few that are sitting on the surface and drying out a little are submerged in the liquid. Don’t do the same to the leeks, however, as the bits that are peeking out will become desirably caramelised in the heat. Put back in the oven for a further 30 minutes, by which time the peas and leeks will be soft, and the chicken tender and cooked through, its skin golden and crisp.
- Tear off the remaining dill fronds, and scatter over the top on serving, perhaps with some simply steamed new potatoes to soak up the pea and chicken juices.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Refrigerate leftovers, within 2 hour of cooking, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot all the way through. If you prefer, you can use light chicken stock in place of the vermouth or wine.
Refrigerate leftovers, within 2 hour of cooking, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot all the way through. If you prefer, you can use light chicken stock in place of the vermouth or wine.
